While Otaku was the family founder, it was Otaku Shiko who actually laid down and codified many of the family's martial traditions that became the Utaku Battle Maiden school. It was Shiko, who had returned through Oblivion's Gate in 1133, who declared that [5] the family would change its name in order to renew their vows to the Kami Shinjo, becoming the Utaku family. [6] The family was strictly matriarchal. No male Utaku had ever been daimyo of the family, and the men were not allowed to ride the Utaku steeds into combat. [7]

Although it was a well known fact that Utaku men might not ride the family's great steeds into battle, many erroneously assumed this means that Utaku men did not ride at all. Utaku (of both sexes) laugh when they heard this. Utaku men were the greatest horse breeders and stable masters in all of Rokugan. Riding was a necessary part of maintaining and training quality steeds. Male Utaku were just not trained in mounted combat, leaving that honor to the women of the family. [8]

The Utaku claimed the endless plains in the northeastern regions of Unicorn lands as their own, which had the fewest natural resources among the clan's lands. They were considered the most civilized of any Unicorn region, only the Utaku had permanently settled the vast majority of their land. [9]